Two raccoons in Scituate yard had rabies

A Scituate homeowner reported Friday afternoon that her two dogs had killed a raccoon and brought it to the front door. The dogs rooted out a second raccoon in the yard that was already dead.

Jessica Trufant The Patriot Ledger @JTrufant_Ledger

A raccoon killed in a fight with two dogs has tested positive for rabies, along with a second raccoon that was found dead in the same yard on Standish Avenue.

Animal Control Officer Kimberly Stewart said a homeowner reported Friday afternoon that her two dogs had killed a raccoon and brought it to the front door. Stewart said the dogs rooted out a second raccoon in the yard that was already dead from the viral disease.

Because the dogs were scratched while fighting the raccoon, Stewart said both of the raccoon carcasses were sent to a state lab for testing.

“We only test the animals when they come in contact with a pet or human. Otherwise, suspected cases are euthanized,” Stewart said. She said there have been other wild animals suspected of having rabies recently, but these are the first two confirmed cases in Scituate this year.

Both of the dogs are expected to recover, Stewart said.

“The dogs were both up-to-date on their shots, and they both have since received boosters,” Stewart said. “Had they not been, we would be having a different conversation. It really shows the importance of getting your pets updated on their rabies shots.”

State law requires that all dogs and cats be vaccinated against rabies, which is nearly always fatal.

Data from the state Department of Public Health shows that 25 of the 459 animals sent to the William A. Hinton State Laboratory Institute in the first quarter of 2014 tested positive for rabies. Of the 23 raccoons tested, 17 had the disease – a positive rate of 74 percent.

A raccoon tested positive for rabies in February after the animal slipped into a Hingham home and attacked a 73-year-old woman who had reached out to pet it thinking it was her cat. The woman suffered injuries to her face and fingers from struggling with the animal, which had entered the house through a rear cat door.

Dr. Catherine Brown, the state’s public health veterinarian, said all the animals brought in for testing were exposed to at least one human or pet.

Stewart said the number of suspected rabies cases this early in the year seems to be higher than normal.

“It seems to be cyclical, and it comes in waves. It’s every three years we get a spike, but it’s early for it. I’m bracing for a busy year,” she said. “It’s really important to get pets updated and not to wait, … especially cats because they’re more likely to be out roaming.”

Scituate Animal Control and the Scituate Animal Shelter are hosting a rabies and distemper clinic from 9 a.m. until noon on Saturday at the shelter, 780 Chief Justice Cushing Highway. Cats will be treated from 9 to 10:30 a.m., followed by dogs from 10:30 a.m. until noon. The cost is $15 for rabies shots and $20 for distemper. All dogs must be on leashes and all cats in carriers.